Voters in 16th Worcester face uncluttered ballot

WORCESTER — Voters in the 16th Worcester District will have an uncluttered, bare-bones ballot in front of them Tuesday as they choose their next state representative.

Democrat Daniel Donahue and Republican Carol Claros are vying for the seat left open this summer by the resignation of Democrat John P. Fresolo, who stepped down amid a House ethics investigation.

Whoever wins, the newest state representative in the city will be the youngest. Mr. Donahue, 26, of Malmo Street, is former assistant chief of staff for Mayor Joseph M. Petty. Ms. Claros, 30, of Delmont Avenue, is a single mother who works as a nurse at Concord state prison.

With no other races or questions on the ballot, it will be interesting to see how well each candidate's "get out the vote" operation coaxes people to the polls. In the Aug. 13 primary election, in which Mr. Donahue emerged from a field of five Democrats, just 3,244, or around 15 percent, of the district's 21,465 registered voters came out. Ms. Claros was on that ballot, but did not face a primary challenge.